Silence of the night
by Joan R Hamilton
Summary: What happens when someone with a taste for payback is blinded by their obsession with McGee and causes worlds to collide. Please be forewarned, contains violence and mention of rape, could cause triggers.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Gibbs was sitting at his desk going through old files when his phone rang. Giving it a dirty look, he picked it up.

His voice was less than friendly as he answered. "Gibbs."

"Hello, Agent Gibbs, this is Detective Stevenson down at the station." There was a nervous cough. "Well, we were wondering how you'd like to handle this, seeing how it's your boy an' all. Your agent Timothy McGee's DNA was found on a rape victim two weeks ago, we just got the results in today." Gibbs felt himself go cold, like his heart had stopped beating. Tony he could be more willing to believe to be framed, but not McGee.

Gibbs cleared his throat, "Send us all the files and evidence, we'll handle it from here."

"Thank you Agent Gibbs." The detective's voice sounded relieved, as if they were already swamped enough. "I'll have one of my men send it right over." Gibbs hung up the phone and glanced up at his team, his eyes lingering on McGee. The director would have to be notified, but despite the protocol, he had to hear it from his agent first. Not like he was one to follow protocol to a T anyway.

Timothy McGee was sitting at his desk typing up emails when he heard the phone ring. Thinking they were getting another case, he prepared himself to grab his gear to go. He looked at Tony and Ziva, who seemed to be anticipating the same thing. When his boss slammed down the phone and stayed silent, the team started getting nervous. Tony was about to say something when Gibbs stood up.

Pointing to McGee, he barked, "Conference room 1, now." And he marched off without even checking to see if Tim was following. Tony sat there slack jawed as McGee jumped up and all but ran after the boss. Ziva's face was a picture of confusion and both were rendered speechless as their teammate and leader left the room.

Once inside the conference room, McGee looked questioningly at Gibbs. "Boss, what's going on?"

"What did you do two weeks ago? Have you been on any dates or anything?" The questions seemed silly but Gibbs' face was so serious Tim found it hard to talk.

"Um no, boss, I haven't been on a date in months. I don't remember what I was doing two weeks ago. What does this have to do with anything?"

Gibbs cut to the chase. "I got a call from metro saying your DNA was found on a rape victim."

"Boss!"

Gibbs ignored the outburst. "They're sending the evidence over today. Until we sort this out, you will be suspended." McGee tried to interrupt but Gibbs continued. "We all know you wouldn't do something like this, but you'll have to follow protocol until proven innocent. The fact that they have your DNA is a very bad sign." He went to the door. "Come on, we have to talk to Vance."

The walk up to the director's office was silent and awkward. When they arrived, the secretary just looked at Gibbs and sighed, knowing he'd walk right in anyway. He didn't even look at her as he opened the door. Vance was sitting at his desk, alone in the room.

Nodding at them, he greeted, "Gibbs, McGee. What can I do for you?" Gibbs proceeded to inform him of the case against McGee. When he was finished, the director sat back in his chair. "Well you know as well as I do what should be done." He turned to McGee, "You will need to stay in our holding cell until this thing is sorted out. Knowing your team, it shouldn't take long. We'll have to hold onto your badge and weapon until further notice."

Gibbs interjected, "He'd be of better use on the desk. I can at least have him working cold cases." Vance looked long and hard at his most stubborn agent. He knew he could force the issue and make McGee stay in the cell, but he figured that if McGee was watched at all times and just stayed in the cell overnight… "Fine. But Agent McGee will stay in the holding cell overnight." McGee looked relieved, but only slightly. He remembered when Tony had to stay in that cell over the Chip incident.

Gibbs replied, "Agreed." He turned to McGee and motioned for the badge and weapon. Reluctantly, Tim pulled his badge out and unbuckled his gun belt and handed them to the director.

As they were about to leave, Vance reminded Gibbs, "Don't forget to keep me in the loop on this one."

Gibbs grinned, "Wouldn't dream of it, director." Vance just raised an eyebrow at him.

Down in the bull pen, DiNozzo was still puzzling over what had just happened when a young nervous looking man approached his desk carrying a box.

"I'm looking for Agent Gibbs?" He asked, looking around.

"Agent Gibbs isn't here at the moment, can I help you?" DiNozzo was very curious as to what was in the box and figured it had to do with that phone call. The man looked at the box and shrugged.

"Well, this is the evidence and files on that rape case he asked us to bring over. I just need your signature on the chain of evidence log." Tony signed his name and the young man left. Ziva could not keep her eyes off the box either.

"Did I hear correctly? A rape case, not a murder case?" She wandered over to DiNozzo's desk as he inspected the box.

"The thing I'm wondering is if we should open it or wait for the boss man." Carefully peeling the lid up, he peeked inside right as a hand smacked him upside the back of his head. "Hey boss, just checking the new evidence that came in."

Gibbs grabbed the box, "Thanks, DiNozzo, now get back to work. I'm going to take this down to Abby." Looking pointedly at McGee as younger agent was sitting down, McGee dropped his eyes to the desk and nodded. As the senior agent left, Tony and Ziva rounded on McGee.

"What was that all about, McGeek? Got yourself in a little trouble?"

"Shut up, Tony. I didn't do anything."

"Would this have anything to do with that rape case we were just given?" Ziva asked. Tim let out a sigh, figuring they would have to find out sooner or later and it'd be better coming from him.

"Gibbs just told me metro found my DNA on a victim. I didn't do anything, so I don't know how they found it."

Tony looked thoughtful for a moment. "Hmm, when was the last time you had a lady friend, anyway?"

"None of your business, Tony!" McGee looked flustered, wishing he hadn't said anything to Tony.

"Of course it's my business, it's pertinent to the case! We have to know who could have had access to… um, your DNA. And of course who would have a grudge against you."

Looking thoughtful, Ziva pondered, "I do not know of anyone who dislikes our Timmy. I think we will have to speak to the victim to learn more about the case."

Tony patted McGee on the back, "It'll be ok. Just like that time I was framed…" Tony walked back to his desk, leaving McGee to his thoughts.

Techno music was blasting through the lab as Gibbs entered. Abby was dancing away, sipping on her CafPow, completely oblivious to Gibbs' entrance. He watched the goth for a moment and smiled, shaking his head.

"Abby!" He yelled. She quickly stopped and turned the music down.

"Gibbs! You brought me something!" She wandered over and took the box. "So what is this?"

"This is a delicate situation, Abby. One that I'm sure you can help us figure out." She quickly opened the box and read the brief case description. As she read, her mouth dropped open.

"What? They think McGee did this?" Glancing through the photos of the victim all bruised and beaten. "I can probably prove that he didn't do the beating, but the DNA evidence is pretty condemning. This is going to be very difficult."

"You can do it, Abs, I have faith in you." She turned and smiled, saluting.

"I'll run the samples they gave me and see if I can actually use them. Two week old samples though…" Gibbs kissed her on the forehead and left her to puzzle over everything.


	2. Chapter 2

**Edited to fix a glaring size error ~ thanks for the reviews :)**

Chapter 2

Gibbs left Abby's lab to head down to autopsy to chat with Ducky. As he entered the room, he could hear Jimmy and Ducky arguing about jazz. Ducky immediately stopped when he noticed Gibbs at the door.

"What can we do for you, Jethro?" He walked over to Gibbs.

"Take a look at this file and tell me what you can of the type of person who would do the crime." Ducky gingerly took the folder and looked at Gibbs.

"I'm guessing by the fact there is no body on my table that the victim survived? Or am I mistaken and the body has vanished?"

"She survived." Ducky looked relieved and began reading the report. In a matter of minutes he was finished and handed the report back to Gibbs.

"From what I can tell just by the pictures and her statement, the perpetrator seemed to get off on hurting her, but there's something off about the whole thing."

"Would it help to talk to the girl?" Gibbs asked, already knowing the answer.

"Of course, I can definitely try that. She may even remember something." Gibbs nodded and left the room.

The next day, a well dressed young woman walked into the bull pen holding a folder. Her golden brown hair was loose and flowing, some of which was covering part of her face. She looked around and upon spotting Gibbs made a beeline for him.

"Agent Gibbs?" She asked as she approached. He looked at her and nodded.

"Glad you could make it, come with me." Without another word, they left.

"Be still, my beating heart." Tony commented dramatically.

"Oh stop it, Tony, you say that about every woman that comes in here." McGee said as he continued his work. Ziva stayed quiet, smiling to herself.

"Oh come on, McGee, you can't tell me that you don't think she's hot." He glanced over at the techy. "You did see her, right?" McGee rolled his eyes as he sat back in his chair.

"Yes I saw her, but unlike you I don't gawk at every woman that comes through here."

Ziva, playing with her pen, spoke up. "Do you think she is here about the case?"

"She's probably the victim's lawyer. You saw how she was dressed and that file definitely gave it away." Tony smirked. "You better watch out, McGoo, she's gonna get you."

Tony's green eyes flashed, but Ziva spoke up before he could. "Drop it, Tony, give the man a break. I do not think he needs you constantly reminding him of his situation." She smiled at Tim as Tony looked dejected.

"Yeah, you're right, I should lay off him… It's just kinda hard sometimes. I'm sorry, Timmy, I'll try harder." The smile he gave didn't ease the pit in McGee's stomach that was steadily growing.

Adelaine Lewis followed the silver haired man to the elevator, her nerves on fire. Ever since her encounter, she was having a very difficult time being around men and now she was entering an elevator alone with one. Her hand reactively went up to her face, feeling the healing bruised cheek bone. She hoped she had put on enough make up to cover it up. The agent pushed a button on the elevator and the door closed, sealing her in. She stayed silent, and thankfully so did the man. When they reached their floor, he walked out first and opened a door labeled Interrogation. Her heart rose in her throat.

"Don't worry, it's just an interview with our local psychologist like I told you on the phone." She didn't ease up, but did remember what she agreed to. They wanted to get a better idea of what they were dealing with. She walked into the room and saw a kind looking old man sitting at the table. She took the chair on the opposite side and noted that Agent Gibbs did not follow. She figured he would be on the other side of the glass, watching.

"Good afternoon, Miss Lewis. My name is Dr. Mallard, or Ducky as I'm so called around here. Now, as was discussed previously, we'll be trying to figure out the motive and mindset of your attacker. Please don't feel like you need to rush things, please take your time." She took a deep breath and began describing how she had been in the library studying for a physics exam and had left right at closing. It had been an overcast night, cold and damp, and she remembered how she wished she hadn't stayed so late. Her dorm room wasn't far from the library, but before she could enter her building, a man had grabbed her from behind, clamping a cloth covered hand over her mouth so she couldn't scream. He had dragged her into an alcove, one where no light touched, and slammed her head into the wall. Dazed, she had tried to fight back as he tore her clothes off. At this point, she stopped talking, struggling not to cry.

Ducky tried to put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, but she jerked away and looked at him with fear in her eyes. Then she closed her eyes and breathed.

"I'm sorry, I'll try to continue." She said, steadying her voice.

"No no, dear, it's perfectly alright. Take your time." She nodded and took a drink of the water they had placed on the table. Continuing, she closed her eyes and recounted how he had forced her onto the ground and spread her legs. She wished she had blacked out, but the memory of him in her was still fresh in her mind, burned for eternity into her memory. Staring at the table, she mentioned how when he was done, he shoved something else inside of her, laughing about what easy money it was. After that, he beat her. Some drunk students found her a couple hours later and had the presence of mind to call the cops.

"So you never actually got a look at the guy?" Ducky asked.

"No. It was too dark and I think he was wearing a mask. But I heard him and I don't think he had the thought to disguise his voice. And I have a general idea of how tall he was because of when he grabbed me, the top of my head hit his collarbone. So he had to have been over 6 feet tall, maybe 6 foot 5." Ducky smiled inwardly at that, seeing how Timothy was too short. Her head would have hit his chin. Behind the glass, Gibbs smiled too. Gibbs had an idea that he knew could backfire horribly, but he figured it would be the best way to know. He called McGee down to interrogation.

Once there, he walked into the observation room. "What's up, boss?" He looked over into the interrogation room. "What's going on?"

"Oh nothing much, just a little debriefing. I wanted you to meet Adelaine Lewis, as she will be helping us figure out who is trying to frame you." McGee was a little confused as he thought the lawyer would be wanting to put him in prison rather than help him out. But he stayed silent, and followed Gibbs into the hallway where they met Ducky and Adelaine exiting interrogation. Ducky raised an eyebrow at Gibbs but kept his mouth shut. Gibbs told him as best as body language can say, "Hey, I gotta do what I gotta do."

Sighing, Ducky bid the group farewell. "Miss Lewis, I hope that we can continue to work together, for everyone's sakes, and Gibbs, I do hope you know what you're doing." He then left. Gibbs motioned towards the elevators and they got in. Once more Adelaine felt a knot in her stomach as the doors of the elevator closed. In her head she knew the men wouldn't do anything, especially at the NCIS headquarters, but her heart was beating terrifyingly fast and hard.

McGee was oblivious to the plight of the young lady and greeted her. "I'm sorry I don't think we've been properly introduced. I'm Special Agent Timothy McGee." Adelaine felt her heart jump into her throat and she was rendered speechless. _This is that man?_ After her initial shock, she was suddenly filled with confusion and couldn't stop herself from blurting out her thoughts.

"But… Agent McGee? You're not him!" She quickly put a hand over her mouth and Gibbs stopped the elevator. Before Adelaine could panic even more, Gibbs spoke up.

"Yeah, we know he's not the one. He's being framed and your testimony is the only thing that can help him stay out of jail and possibly catch the real culprit." She looked at Gibbs and back to a now shocked McGee.

"Wait, boss, she's the victim? I thought she was a lawyer!" His eyes grew wider. "Boss, what are you thinking? This is a very bad idea!" Adelaine could not have agreed more. Her head was buzzing as the pressure of a panic attack grew.

"We have established that neither of you knew each other before hand, that this is the first time you two have met." He noted Adelaine's quick deterioration and started the elevator up again. "Miss Lewis, I'll escort you out." As the elevator stopped and the doors opened, her panic attack started to fade as she gained a better grip on the situation.

Turning to McGee, she said, "I may not have any idea what's going on here, and as freaked out as I am about all of it, I will help you find whoever did this, for both of our sakes." Gibbs saw that despite her strong appearance, she was shaking.

"Do you have someone you can stay with until this thing gets sorted out?" He asked as they made their way to the exit. She nodded.

"I've been staying with my cousin since the incident. She's been through this too, so she's been a big help." Gibbs nodded.

"Look, if you ever need anything, and I mean _anything_, do not hesitate to call." Adelaine nodded. Looking exhausted, she told the agents goodbye and left. As she got in her car, the whole experience caught up with her and she spent the next half an hour sobbing.


	3. Chapter 3

Gibbs and McGee headed back to the bullpen, McGee lost in thought. "You got something to say, McGee?" Gibbs asked.

"Well, boss, it's just that I still have a very bad feeling about what just happened."

"You don't think I had everything under control."

"Not exactly that, but she could cause more problems for me. She could change her mind." Gibbs stopped and looked at McGee.

"She's not stupid, she knows what's going on. Trust me, McGee, I know what I'm doing." McGee sighed and followed his boss to a conference room.

"What are we doing here?"

"I need your side of the story, too, McGee. Sit down, it shouldn't take long." They both sat down, Tim resting his elbows on the table, Gibbs leaning back in his chair while getting a pen and paper ready. "So tell me what you remember doing two weeks ago, on October 2nd." McGee looked at his hands and thought. It had been a Tuesday and they'd had a busy and long day at work so he had gone straight home to relax. He remembered making himself a cup of hot chocolate and sitting on the couch to brainstorm a story idea, but that was all he could remember about the night.

"It's like it's completely blank after that. I know I didn't feel particularly rested when I woke up."

"Do you think it's possible you were drugged?"

"At the time I didn't think about it, just figured I hadn't slept right, and also because of the busy day we'd had. I think I was really cranky that day, especially to Tony."

Gibbs wrote something on his paper. "Yeah, you were definitely off that day." Glancing up at McGee, he added, "I think we all were." McGee nodded slightly. Gibbs continued. "If someone did drug you, you most likely ate or drank it. Did you notice if your apartment had been messed with at all? Any markings on the door?" McGee shook his head. He'd been so tired that day he probably walked into an ambush.

"The person could have been in my apartment and I would never have known I was so tired." A sudden thought made his eyes go wide. "Boss… if they drugged me, then they…" He didn't even want to think about how they had gotten the evidence they needed. Gibbs didn't follow that thought but changed the subject.

"Are you sure there aren't any people you can think of who would be jealous of you, hold a grudge, anything?"

McGee shook his head. "Just the people we've put away. Tony said he was looking into them and if he found anything he'd let me know." Gibbs capped his pen and stood up.

"There's some things I want to check out. In the meantime, continue to work on those cold cases. We'll keep ya posted."

As Adelaine drove, she remembered she had to return a book to the library. It was already a week late, but she couldn't just keep putting it off, so after she parked, instead of heading into her dorm she went to the library. The librarians were very sweet about it and even waived her fine. They said they'd read about her incident in the paper and couldn't believe that someone would want to do that to her. Adelaine blushed and escaped as soon as she could. They meant well, but she wasn't ready to talk about it to them. Distracted, she hurried the steps towards her dorm. The sun had already set and a chill wind was blowing. She cursed herself for not bringing a jacket. As she reached for the door, a heavy object hit her face and she went down. All she knew was darkness.

Tony walked into work, chipper as usual, greeting people in his normal cheery way. When he got to his desk, he noticed no one else was around. By the looks of it, no one had gotten there at all. As he was about to sit down, his boss's phone rang. Looking around to make sure Gibbs wasn't nearby, he walked over and answered the phone.

"Special Agent Gibbs' desk, how may I assist you today?"

"Hello, this is Officer Young down at the station, we got a call about a case you guys picked up. Seems your vic was found beaten near to death late last night and is in the hospital. Got a pen? I'll give you the address and details." Tony wrote everything down, his mood darkened. After he hung up, he went back to his desk and called Gibbs.

"Gibbs."

"Hey boss, we just got a call from metro about our rape victim? She's in the hospital, looks like she was beaten up pretty bad. They didn't say what her condition is."

"Take Ziva down there and see what's going on." Tony looked around.

"Ziva's not here."

"Then find her!" _*click*_

Tony dialed Ziva's number and just as it started to ring, he saw her getting off the elevator. He quickly hung up the phone and grabbed his gear.

"Morning, Ziva, time for a trip to the hospital."

Adelaine lay in her hospital bed in a coma. Bruises covered her face and she made wheezing sounds as she breathed. Tony grimaced.

"Good morning, my name is Dr. Talbot, I'm her doctor today. May I help you?" Tony introduced himself and Ziva and asked for a full detail of what happened. "Well, there's not much, she was beaten pretty bad. She had some hemorrhaging on her brain that we were able to catch in time and will be monitoring her for. She also has a pretty bad concussion and hasn't woken up yet. Her vitals are at least good, as good as can be expected." He looked over his charts quickly, looked back at the agents and hesitated. A quick shake of his head and he continued. "We'll let you know when she's awake. If we're lucky, it'll be soon." As he walked away, Tony looked at Ziva.

"I think there's something he's not telling us. You see the way he hesitated?" Ziva nodded.

"Perhaps it is not important. Or perhaps it is something more private that he must first discuss with her." Tony rolled his eyes, deciding not to continue complaining. He looked around and seeing no one looking at him, he snuck back into Adelaine's room.

"Tony! What do you think you are doing?" Ziva hissed in his ear.

"They have to have a chart around here somewhere… ah, here it is!" He found a folder and starting flipping through it. After a short while he suddenly snapped the folder shut and silently left the room. As he sped down the hallway to the exit, Ziva tried to keep up.

"What did you find? Tony! What is it? What is wrong?" Tony waited until they were out of the hospital before turning to look at her.

"I think this is something I should keep to myself. I mean if word got out… No, I can't tell anyone. Not even you." Ziva looked incredibly hurt and offended by his words. "Fine." He spat. "But don't you dare tell anyone. Only that girl up there can tell anyone, if and when she's ready. She's pregnant and it might be our probie's."


	4. Chapter 4

After getting over the initial shock of finding out the victim was pregnant, Ziva tried to process the fact that it could be McGee's.

"You just had to snoop, didn't you!" She snapped at DiNozzo. "How are we supposed to not tell McGee that he may or may not have just impregnated a woman? Who happens to be lying in a coma, with no sign of her attacker anywhere."

"I'm sorry, you're right, I shouldn't have snooped. And hey, for all we know, she might not even keep the baby. Especially after a beating like that." Ziva gave him a cold look. "If it were me, I would definitely want to know, even if the baby doesn't make it."

"Perhaps we should tell Gibbs?"

"Sure, tell everyone but the girl and probie. He'd definitely forgive us for that one!" Tony laughed, but it was a nervous laugh that didn't last long. They got to the car and drove back to NCIS headquarters.

Gibbs was with Abby when he received the call from DiNozzo about their victim. Abby was trying to explain what she found and how she found it. He had gotten that she had found trace amounts of rohypnol, the date rape drug, in the samples from McGee when his phone had gone off. After he hung up, irritated, Abby started talking again.

"It took a while because the samples are old, but there was just enough to show up. So that's proof enough that McGee didn't do it."

"Good job, Abs, now we just have to figure out who the real rapist is. I sent some agents to McGee's to check for fingerprints, have you gotten anything back from that yet?"

"They did give me a few prints and I'm just running them through the system now. Because he has had guests within the past week, there's no guarantee that these will be our suspect. Our suspect probably was wearing gloves anyway."

Gibbs nodded. "Keep up the good work." And then turned to walk out, but Abby wasn't done.

"Gibbs, how do we know the victim isn't setting him up?" Gibbs gave her a look and shook his head.

"Drop it, Abs." He left before she could continue, which hurt her feelings. She felt that her feelings were valid and couldn't wrap her mind around why her silver fox wouldn't at least explain. She started to obsess on it and decided she would try to find a way that it could have been the victim.

Adelaine woke up groggily and groaned as she realized where she was and what had happened. Her head was throbbing and she could only imagine what her face would look like. As she became more aware, the doctor came in.

"I'm glad to see you're awake already, Miss Lewis! That's a good sign." She looked at him blankly. "Well you suffered severe head trauma and were put into a coma because of it. We weren't sure when you would wake up."

"How bad is it? When can I leave?"

"Well we'll monitor you for a while, make sure you're stable and not going to suffer any other effects and when we're satisfied, we'll clear you to leave." He glanced down at his chart and cleared his throat. "Um, there is a bit of an issue that needs to be addressed. It appears the emergency birth control given to you after your first attack was ineffective. According to your hCG levels, you are about 4 weeks pregnant." Adelaine's mouth dropped open despite the shooting pain through her jaw. She was speechless. She was filled with so many conflicting feelings and panic started to well up inside. The doctor seemed oblivious, going on about how pregnancy works. After a while, he stopped talking and she realized she was alone. She couldn't stay there, she had to talk to someone. She ripped her IV out and pulled off the other cords that she had no idea what they did. Looking around feeling very self conscious, she found her clothes that had been folded neatly and set on a chair. Relief flooded her and she almost cried. She figured she didn't have long before the nurse would come in because of the heart monitor, so she quickly dressed and darted out into the hallway.

Tony's phone rang. "Very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo, how can I help you?"

"Yes, this is Dr. Talbot, we met earlier? The patient, Adelaine Lewis, managed to leave the hospital prematurely. We've looked all over and we can't find her, I thought you should know."

"Great, thanks. We'll keep a look out for her."

Tony started telling McGee when Abby charged into the bullpen. She was holding some files and looking anxious.

"Hey, Abby, what's up?" DiNozzo asked.

"Where's Gibbs?" DiNozzo shrugged. Tim started to speak up when a frazzled Adelaine came in. She looked panicked, her clothes and hair a mess, and her face covered in bruises. Tony stood up.

"Miss Lewis, what are you doing here? The hospital just called and…"

"I need to talk to Agent Gibbs." She interrupted.

"I don't know where he is, Miss Lewis, but I can give him a call…" McGee started saying when Abby interrupted.

"You? You're the one! How do we know it's not you trying to frame our Timmy?" She went on a barrage of accusatory insults, caught up in her own emotional ideas, not seeing the fear and panic on Adelaine's face. Tony and Tim stared, slack jawed, unable to react to the outburst. Just as Gibbs walked down the stairs from MTAC, Adelaine rushed to the elevator and disappeared. Gibbs ran down the stairs to his phone, glaring at Abby.

"Yeah this is Gibbs, there's a girl with brown hair wearing a grey sweatshirt and jeans headed your way, stop her. I'll be right there!" He turned to Abby. "I told you to drop it, now look what you've done!" With that he went to the stairs, leaving Abby, Tim, and Tony shell shocked. Abby suddenly burst into tears.

"I was only trying to help, I didn't realize…" She quickly walked away, back to her lab.

"What the hell just happened?" Tony asked Tim, who just sat there shocked.

Gibbs got down to the entrance to NCIS headquarters and approached the door man.

"Hey Gibbs, I haven't seen anyone matching your description anywhere. I radioed my men throughout the building, but they've come up blank as well. I don't know what to tell you." Gibbs sighed and whipped out his cell.

"McGee, can you put a trace on her cell phone?"

"Sure thing, boss." There was a pause. "Um, boss, she's still in the building." Gibbs hung up and headed to the elevator.

Adelaine curled up in the bathroom stall and cried as silently as she could. Nothing had prepared her for an attack like that from the people supposedly helping her. She started thinking it was a huge mistake to want to tell anyone, even though she was morally obligated to keep the baby. She started hoping she would miscarry. She wasn't sure how long she was there, but after what felt like hours, she started thinking more rationally and figured she was overreacting. Agent Gibbs would still be able to help. At least she hoped. As if an answer to prayer, she heard the door open.

"Miss Lewis?" A small amount of relief at the voice warmed her.

"Gibbs." She managed to say, her voice hoarse from crying.

"You ok in there?" He was at the stall door.

"No. No I am not ok."

"You wanna talk about it?"

She took a few deep breaths before replying. "No, I don't really want to talk about it, but I have to." She waited but there was no response. "Agent Gibbs, I'm… I'm pregnant and… and it's pretty certain it's your Agent McGee's. considering…"

"Considering they didn't find any other DNA." He cussed softly. "So you gonna tell him?"

She got up and opened the stall door. Without meeting his eyes, she replied, "I don't want to. I don't want to ruin his life too, or at least more than it already is. I want him to be able to go on after this is all over as if nothing happened…" She looked up into Gibbs' blue eyes. "But I don't want to do this alone."

"You won't be alone. He would want to know, and he has a right to know." Adelaine nodded.

"Can you help me? I have no idea how to tell him." Gibbs nodded and pulled out his phone.

"McGee. I found her. Meet us in the conference room."


	5. Chapter 5

As McGee walked to the conference room, his heart was fluttering, wondering what came up. Walking through the door, he saw Adelaine, her face bruised, eyes red and puffy as if she'd been crying recently, and she wouldn't look at him. Gibbs motioned for him to have a seat.

"Hey boss, what's going on?" Gibbs looked at Adelaine and raised an eyebrow. She sighed and without looking away from the table, started talking.

"Ok, look, I know this won't be easy to take in and I didn't even want to tell you at first but Agent Gibbs assures me you would want to know…" McGee felt his heart try to climb out through his throat. "But, well, I'm pregnant and the chance it's yours is… well…" McGee felt like he couldn't breathe, his heart was pounding so hard he wasn't sure he could hear anymore and the room began to spin. Before he knew it, Gibbs had his hand on his shoulder and was calling his name.

"McGee! Breathe, Tim, slow and easy." He focused on just breathing and started feeling better. Adelaine looked at him finally.

"You don't have to do anything, you are under no obligations here, Agent McGee. You are as much a victim as I am." She quickly stared at the table again. "I don't want your life to be ruined more than it already has been. Besides, I'm not very far along, there's still a chance it won't take." McGee was still trying to process the information, but he was known for being responsible and there was no way he'd let something like that stop him now.

"No, you never asked for this and we're pretty sure that the suspect did this to get to me, so it's my fault it happened in the first place." Gibbs looked like he wanted to head slap McGee for blaming himself, but refrained. He would let them talk it out between themselves and make sure to speak to McGee in private afterwards. Adelaine looked like she was trying not to cry again.

McGee continued, "So I will help out as best I can, and if the… pregnancy… does take, I want to be there." _For my child._ The unspoken words hit McGee as he thought them. _Me? A father? This is not how it should have happened!_ Anger flared up in him for the person who did this. If he ever got his hands on the person… It'd make Ziva flinch.

Adelaine nodded. "Thank you, even if you're just saying it to make me feel better." She did feel better. She had no idea what to expect, but this was not on her list of reactions to prepare for.

"I'm not just saying it, I mean it. If you need anything, you let me know." McGee was very emphatic and she nodded, surprised at his earnestness.

Gibbs looked at her. "What are you going to do about school?"

"Well, I won't be done with my doctorate for another year and a half, so I'll probably have to put it off after the child is born and find a job to support us. I haven't really thought about it yet. Is that all? I should probably get back to the hospital." Gibbs nodded and got up.

"I'll walk you out. Do you have a ride?" She shook her head.

"No, I took a bus and then walked the rest of the way."

"Well then, I'll just drive you."

McGee looked confused. "Boss, what should I do?"

Without turning his head, Gibbs replied, "Continue working on your cold case, McGee."

As McGee walked back to his desk, he was glad to see Tony wasn't around. Ziva was very focused on her computer and he didn't think she noticed him. So after he sat down and opened his files, he was surprised to see her standing at his desk.

"Hello, McGee, is everything alright?" He blinked, not sure what to say. "I mean, you look like you saw a ghost. You are pale and shaky, and I am sure something has happened."

Irritated, McGee didn't want to tell her anything, but figured he should at least say something. "It's just something with the case. A new complication. I don't want to talk about it."

Ziva backed up. "I am here if you need to talk." She walked back to her desk.

"Hey Ziva." She looked back at Tim.

"Yes, McGee?"

"Thanks. It means a lot." She just smiled back at him and nodded. The momentary silence, and the temporary peace McGee was feeling, was shattered as DiNozzo walked in. As always, he was overly exuberant and walked right up to McGee, slapping him on the back.

"Hey there! So what was that all about?"

"What was what about, Tony?" McGee was irritated again and didn't hide it.

"The whole conference room thing." Tony either was ignoring the tone or was oblivious.

"I don't want to talk about it. Just leave me alone." Tim tried to get back to his case.

"Oh come on, McGrumpy, we're your team here, we're here for you."

"Tony, I think you should drop it." Ziva put a warning hand on DiNozzo's shoulder. "If he wants to tell us, he will when he is ready."

"Not you too! Bunch of wet blankets here!" He sounded hurt, but backed off. Then his expression softened and added, "I know I razz you a lot, McGee, but in all seriousness, if you ever need to talk…"

McGee looked up. "Thanks, Tony. When I'm ready."

Abby sat in silence in her lab. She was too depressed to have her music on and she was going over the evidence again. She had just gotten the video surveillance from the university and while the quality wasn't that good, there was a chance they could get an idea at least. Scanning through the footage, she found the time and place the first attack was. It was too dark to get an idea, but she saw the girl get grabbed and dragged into the darkness and felt the pit of guilt in her stomach grow. What had come over her to even think of accusing the victim? Scanning forward, she found the second attack. There was a little more light and this time, the attacker failed to cover his face as he was too focused on knocking the victim out. Abby took a screen shot of his face and started the process to uncover his identity. She only hoped his face was in the system.

Gibbs walked into Abby's lab and immediately noticed the lack of noise. He saw her staring at her computer, while faces flashed across it, her head resting on her arms.

"Abby." He said it quietly so as to not startle her. She sniffled but didn't move.

"Why did I do it, Gibbs? She didn't do anything wrong, but I attacked her. Go ahead and yell at me, I deserve it for what I did to her."

Gibbs smiled quickly, but then became serious again as he walked up to her. "You have to think. I don't tell you things just so you can ignore them and terrorize victims." He head slapped her. "I don't think you can do anything to make it better except find the son of a bitch who did this." Abby turned and looked at him.

"You're right, Gibbs." There was a little more pep to her tone, but she was still subdued. "I was just going through the footage from the university and found a shot of his face so I'm just running it through facial recognition. It's a long shot but…" She was interrupted by the computer beeping. She immediately perked up. "Hey look, Gibbs! He is in the system!" Gregor Palmatti's name was on the screen along with his mug shot, his curly black hair a mess and his brown eyes wild, standing at 6'6". "Looks like he was arrested for rape before but there was never enough evidence for him to do hard time. He got a plea bargain and was out on probation just months later. His probation was up last year."

"Good job, Abby, I knew you'd find something." Whipping out his cell, he informed the team to find everything they could on the guy.


	6. Chapter 6

"Ok, so Gregor Palmatti was clean until the rape charges 5 years ago." Tony clicked the remote to bring up Gregor's mug shot. "He worked at a company that dealt with marketing strategies. The charges were brought up by a former coworker, Jessica Harris, although she spoke up years after she claims it had happened so there was no evidence. Jessica had quit her job at the office shortly after she claims it had happened, as well." Tony clicked again and a picture of a young woman with black hair and eyes popped up.

"That would indicate that she either did not wish to work with that man any further or that she had gotten a better job elsewhere." Ziva spoke up. "Perhaps the place they worked at tried to cover it up?"

Gibbs gave a curt nod, "It's something to look at. See if you can find the coworker. Have you tracked down our suspect yet?"

McGee piped up. "Yes boss, we tracked a cell phone registered to him and he's currently living in Arlington, Virginia." Gibbs gave McGee a look.

"I'm going to pretend you didn't just say that."

"I'm sorry boss, it's just that I can't just sit here and do nothing. Besides, I'm much faster than Tony at this stuff."

"Hey!" Tony looked hurt.

"Knock it off, and McGee, stick to your cold cases. You won't help your situation if they find out you're in on the investigation."

"Sorry boss."

"So, DiNozzo, he's in Arlington?" Giving McGee a quick glance before speaking up, Tony wished he could have his help.

"Yes, boss, not very far from Georgetown University where our victim went."

"Gear up!"

As they drove up to the Carlton condominium, they spotted a very tall man enter the building. Ziva looked at the reference shot and made sure her gun was ready.

"That appeared to be our man." She said. Gibbs grunted in reply and Tony checked his weapon as well. They parked and quickly went in. After a cursory glance, they saw the suspect wasn't around. Gibbs walked up to the front counter and slid the picture across the counter.

"Did this man just come in?" The clerk took the picture and nodded.

"Yeah, Gregor, he just went up to his apartment." She gave them the address and they went up the elevator to the fifth floor. Approaching the door, they got into position. Gibbs knocked on the door.

"NCIS! Open up!" Gibbs heard some scrambling inside the apartment so he busted down the door just in time to see Gregor go out the window and down the fire escape. Ziva was ahead of Gibbs as she took off down the stairs and he followed down the fire escape. Tony hesitated at the window before taking off after Ziva, but he tripped on the coffee table on the way and landed on his shoulder. Pain shot through his shoulder and down his arm, and when he tried standing, stabbing pain shot through his shin. Cursing, he ran as best as he could to the elevator.

Gibbs chased Gregor down the fire escape, almost catching him at the bottom, but Ziva had her gun drawn and pointed at Gregor.

"Stay where you are or I will shoot!" The suspect stopped and slowly raised his hands, which Gibbs grabbed and cuffed, shaking his head and smiling. As they led Gregor away, Tony stumbled out of the building, holding his shoulder.

"Hey boss, kinda tripped on the way out and hurt my shoulder."

Gibbs walked over to Tony and grabbed his wrist and pulling the arm out a little, then slowly rotated it until there was a clunk.

"How's that?"

"Wow boss, where'd you learn that? Feels a lot better, though still sore." Gibbs just smiled. They walked back to the car and as Tony approached, he suddenly realized he had to sit in the back with Gregor. He looked at the tall man and grimaced. It was going to be a long ride.

McGee sat at his desk, alone. The cold case was getting nowhere fast and he was extremely antsy wanting to work on his own case. He knew Gibbs was right and that he needed to stay away, but he really wanted to clear his record. He shook his head and rubbed his eyes, still confused and upset by the news that he could be a father. He felt nauseous. He didn't even know the girl, it wasn't even like they had a one night stand. They were both victims and Tim needed to know why. And he needed to know who. He wished he'd thought to have a security camera outside his door like he kept thinking about. Shaking his head again, he pushed those thoughts to the side and focused on his cold case.

Gregor Palmatti sat in interrogation alone. Tony, on the other side of the glass, was watching him.

"He's like a giant statue. Are you sure he's breathing?"

Ziva glanced at Tony. "Of course he is breathing, look at his chest."

"That was a rhetorical question, Ziva." The door to interrogation opened and Gibbs slammed a manila folder on the table, splaying pictures of the rape victim across the table. Gibbs fanned them out in front of the suspect.

"What's this?" Gregor asked.

"I dunno, why don't you tell me?" Gibbs sat down. He could see Gregor start sweating as his looked over the pictures, his hand a little shaky, betraying his unease.

Despite the slight tremor in his voice, he still denied knowledge of the crime. "I never seen this girl before." Gibbs pulled out the picture of Gregor at the university.

"How about this, this look familiar?" Gregor scowled.

"Ok fine, so you caught me. You can't just come out and say that? What's with the games, man?"

"So you admit that you raped and then beat this girl, all to frame an innocent agent?" Gregor went silent and sat back in his seat, thinking hard.

"It's a lot more complicated than that." He finally said. "I got paid good money and all I had to do was plant the evidence given to me. I don't exactly make the best paycheck anymore, so I take what I can get!"

"It must have been pretty good money for you to rape a girl, unless that's just something you have no problem doing anyway." Gregor glared at Gibbs. "So who paid you?"

Gregor smirked. "For all you know, it was your agent."

Gibbs slammed his hands on the table and growled, "I know for a fact it was not my agent, because he's been accounted for. He's been in lockup this entire time. So who paid you?"

Gregor frowned. "It doesn't matter, I'm going to jail either way, so why would I bother telling you? It makes no difference to me, except that if I don't talk, you will never find out." Gibbs scooped up the pictures and walked out.

Tony frowned and looked at Ziva. "Well that was anticlimactic…"

"I agree, that was a bit disappointing. What do we do now?"

"Talk to Gibbs?"

They found Gibbs as he entered Abby's lab. Ignoring his two agents, he walked up to Abby who greeted him with a hug.

"What can I do for you, Gibbs?" She appeared to be back to her cheerful self again.

"Have you gone over Gregor's finances yet?"

The goth nodded, her pigtails flapping. "Yes I have. But there was nothing there. I mean, he deposited a large amount of money starting a week ago and ending today, which totals about $20,000 so far. He may have some cash hidden somewhere as well. There were no direct deposits, so whoever did this knows what they're doing. It seems unlikely that we'll be able to track them through bank records. I even went over his phone records and came up blank! There was a prepaid disposable phone that had called him a few times, but even that turned up as a dead end. I'm running out of options, Gibbs." She looked pleadingly at the older agent.

"Whoever did this was good, real good, but even the best make mistakes and we'll find it. Don't worry."

Tony pondered for a minute. "I wonder if we can't lure the person out. I mean if they think their plan has completely backfired, do you think they'll just give up or strike again? They already seemed to freak out that Adelaine didn't die."

Gibbs nodded. "Good point, DiNozzo. You got a plan?"


	7. Chapter 7

As the team came back to the desks, McGee felt something different. "Did you guys catch him?"

Ziva nodded. "Yes we did, and he confessed. So we have our rapist now." She smiled at him.

McGee frowned. "Did you find out who hired him?"

Gibbs replied, "Not yet, but we'll crack him. It won't take long."

"See, McGee? Everything's working out great now." Tony's smile made Tim feel a little better, but he was still anxious to catch the real criminal.

The following morning, Director Vance walked up to McGee and handed him his weapon and badge back. "You've been cleared of all charges since we got that confession last night. You may go home now if you like, I think you deserve a break." McGee looked surprised as he took his things and put them back where they belonged.

"Does this mean it's all over? I can go back to work like normal?" The director nodded, smiling.

"Well, don't waste the day, McGee." He then went back to his office. Tony had a big grin on his face.

"Well there you go, McGee, free and clear."

"Thanks Tony, it does feel good."

"You gonna take the director up on his offer to take the day off and go home? You haven't been there in days!"

Gibbs nodded to McGee. "You should take the day off, McGee. We just have a lot of paperwork right now to catch up on. When you get back tomorrow, we'll fill you in on everything."

"I kinda want to know now, boss." McGee said, a bit of anxiety creeping into his voice. "I want to know who it was who crept into my house and drugged me and… and who framed me." Gibbs looked McGee in the eyes.

"In due time, now go home and get some real rest." Annoyed, McGee packed his things up. He had gotten plenty of rest, he wanted some action. Saying his goodbyes, he walked towards the elevator. On his way, he heard a pencil snap and he looked over just in time to see Susan Grady, the polygraph operator, picking up her broken pencil.

"Is everything ok, Susan?" He asked. She gave him a big nervous smile and nodded.

"Yes, yes, it's just been a rough day and I'm on my way out."

"Oh, me too, would you mind if I walked you out?" McGee was a little nervous about asking after what had happened the last time they worked together. He wasn't sure how she felt about him after all that and he felt he had screwed up.

"No, no problem." They got into the elevator for an awkward silent ride and then headed out to their cars. As she headed for the gate, McGee got curious.

"Didn't you drive here?"

She turned around and gave a nervous smile. "Oh, no, I took a taxi. My car is in the shop."

Ever being the gentleman, McGee replied, "How about if I take you home then?" She looked like she had to think about it, but not for long. She walked over to McGee and smiled.

"Thank you, that'll be a big help." McGee opened the passenger door for her and then got in. After he started the car, he realized he had no idea where she lived.

"Where am I taking you?"

"Oh, right! That might help." She giggled, which made McGee look at her funny. "I'm down at Park View Terrace, on the corner of Davis Place and 42nd st." Seeing his blank look, she added, "I'll just direct you…"

Ziva watched them leave with trepidation. She had seen the look on Susan's face when the pencil broke. She glanced at Gibbs and saw he wasn't too happy either. However, it was Tony who spoke up first.

"Ya know, I never even connected the two, but it makes sense…"

"Yeah, well we don't have any proof, so we have to wait until she slips up." He picked up the phone. "Hey Abs, can you track McGee's cell?"

"Sure, bossman, what for?"

"Just a precaution." He hung up and turned to DiNozzo. "What is Grady's address?"

"She lives over off of Rhode Island Ave NE and 12 St NE."

"Alright, Tony, gear up. You're coming with me. Ziva, stay here just in case." Tony's boyish grin made her glare at him. Once they got into the car, Gibbs called Abby again.

"You got that trace?"

"Yeah, they're headed over towards Glover Archbold Park." Gibbs hit the steering wheel. "Everything ok, Gibbs? Is McGee ok?"

"Just keep me posted on the trace."

The drive was a bit out of his way, but McGee was just glad to finally be out of the NCIS building. As they drove down Davis Pl. it started to get dark and the trees lining the road didn't help. The neighborhood didn't look too bad, although definitely old. He drove up to the apartment complex and parked. Susan was looking at her lap. McGee was about to speak when she spoke in a very soft voice.

"I'm sorry it's come to this, Tim." McGee went for his gun, but before he could move, it was staring him in the face. "I took it a while ago, while you were distracted." Her grin was crazy.

"But… I thought we were good." McGee was very confused, although it didn't quite surprise as much as it could have, considering their history.

"After what you did to me, McGee?" She yelled. "I put my heart on the line and you stomped on it! And then mocked me!"

"I never mocked you! I was telling the truth, but you were so dead set on thinking I was a liar that you refused to believe me!" Tears stung her eyes as he yelled back at her.

"It's not true, you were never interested in me. Now get out of the car!" Burning with anger, McGee got out of the car. "It wasn't supposed to be this way, Tim." She said as she walked behind McGee. "You were supposed to go to jail and rot. There wasn't supposed to be any evidence. That stupid Palmatti got careless!" Poking McGee in the back with the gun, she instructed him to walk towards the park.

"You didn't have to say anything, Susan, they didn't have any information on you." McGee wasn't sure what he was doing, maybe he was getting desperate. "It's not too late, we can just forget this ever happened."

"You think I can just forget it? You think I can just continue to watch you from afar, living your perfect little life? I can't just stop feeling this rage every single time I look at your face! Or hear your name!" McGee felt the gun trembling in his back and his fear started to grow. He had no idea she had gone so far off the deep end and there was no dealing with crazy, but he thought he'd at least try.

"My life isn't so perfect and you did really screw it up. You also screwed up that poor girl's life too. You know she's pregnant now because of you?" Susan laughed.

"Oh now that is great! Well I'll just take care of you for her as well then! It wouldn't do for her baby to have a daddy who is a deadbeat! Better to have a dead father than one who is never around!"

McGee was indignant. "There is no way I'd let her raise the child alone." They were in the park and the darkness had closed in on them, the branches of the bare trees reaching for them. The gun jabbed him hard in the back.

"I know your type, all talk. Do you know how many men I've had on the machines lie about things like this? I'm really sick of it! I'm sick of you, and I'm done talking!" McGee's fear overtook him and with a rush of adrenaline he bolted. A shot rang out, followed by cursing. Another shot and he fell, blood pouring out of his leg, pain shooting through him. He lay very still and tried to silence his breathing as he listened for her. He started thinking how lucky it was they hadn't brought flashlights until he saw one pop on. She may be crazy, but she was resourceful, and she was headed right for him. He tried to scoot away, but she was on him before he knew it. The flashlight was pointed right at his face but despite being blinded, he knew what was coming and tried to move, filled with panic. The bullet hit his shoulder and he wasn't sure if he cried out before the darkness and pain overtook him, and as he fell unconscious, he wondered why he hadn't tried to take the gun from her…


	8. Chapter 8

Gibbs saw McGee's car and parked. Guns drawn, they got out of the car. Seeing McGee's Porsche was empty, they started up the steps to the apartment complex when they heard a shot fired in the park. They both took off running, and then they heard the second shot. DiNozzo's heart jumped and he found it difficult to swallow around the knot in his throat. They should have gone faster, why hadn't they gone faster? He barely heard Gibbs calling for backup and an ambulance. When they got into the park, they saw the flashlight and headed towards it as quietly as they could. The light stopped moving, focused on a body on the ground. Tony was thinking they were too late until he saw a hand shoot up and then another gunshot went off. He saw the flash in her hand and heard Gibbs yell.

"Damnit! McGee!" And he shot at the same time as Gibbs. The flashlight fell to the ground, illuminating Susan's body. Tony ran straight for McGee and checked for a pulse. Gibbs did the same for Susan.

"She's dead. How's McGee?" Gibbs walked over and grimaced at the blood covering his agent. His anger started fading, being replaced with fear for his man. DiNozzo had taken his jacket off and started compressing the wounds.

"He's got a pulse but it's faint. It looks like she got him in the leg and shoulder. Good thing her aim sucked." He paused. "I can't believe we didn't get here faster…" Gibbs knelt down by his agent and put a hand on McGee's head.

"We were kinda blindsided by this. When you said your plan was to wait and watch, we didn't know we were dealing with someone that far gone. It's more my fault than yours, DiNozzo, because I wasn't expecting a direct attack. It'll do him or you any good to carry all the blame yourself." DiNozzo still felt bad. Before long, the paramedics came and McGee was taken away. Ducky walked up to Gibbs looking at Susan's body.

"Such a shame, eh, Jethro? She was so good at her job and so young too."

"Apparently completely unbalanced, as well." Ducky nodded.

"I'm surprised she passed the psychological exams. Though I do suppose these things can happen suddenly. Do we know what set her off?"

Gibbs shook his head. "Shot first, asked questions later."

Abby rushed into the hospital lobby with Ziva. "Hello, Abby, Ziva. Everyone else is already in the waiting room." Ducky greeted them.

"Do you know if Timmy's ok?" Abby asked, worry filling her voice. Ducky just gave her a mournful look and continued walking to the waiting room. Gibbs was with Tony, cups of coffee in their hands.

"Hey, Abs, Ziver." Gibbs nodded to them.

"How is he, Gibbs?" Abby burst out. "How you could you just let him go off with a murderess psychopath like that and not even tell me? Or him!" Gibbs put a hand on her shoulder.

"We didn't realize until it was too late. We weren't expecting the person to act so fast, and that was our fault. We screwed up. As for McGee, we're still waiting. They have him in surgery."

"She shot him twice. Wounded him in the leg then shot his shoulder." Tony was still angry, although he wasn't sure if he was more angry at himself or the person who actually shot McGee. "I'm just glad we took her out before she could do any worse." He looked over at Ziva who was standing quietly by the window, looking out into the parking lot. Her hair was pulled tight into a ponytail and she looked lost in thought. He quietly excused himself and joined her.

"Hey, you ok?" She turned to look at him, then back out the window.

"Mm, yes, I will be fine. I was just thinking about everything that has happened to McGee in the past few weeks. It does no good to dwell on the what-ifs, but I cannot see to stop. We should at least tell Miss Lewis that both of the people who did this have been taken care of. She will need to testify against Palmatti."

"I'm sure she told him already. You know, about the… thing." Ziva nodded and smiled to herself.

"That is most likely what they were talking about in the conference room."

"And now our probie is all shot up…" His voice cracked.

Ziva looked at him square in the eye. "He will make it, do not even think otherwise."

Tony grinned a little and looked back at her. "Yeah, sorry, you're right."

A few hours later, a doctor came out to the waiting room, blood still on his surgery garb. Looking around, he looked at Gibbs and asked if he was there for Agent McGee. Gibbs nodded and motioned for his team to gather.

"Agent McGee lost a lot of blood, but we were able to get him a transfusion in the ambulance to stabilize him enough to make it to surgery. The bullet to the shoulder managed to miss his subclavian artery, but the surrounding tissue and bone was damaged. He'll take a while to recover. The shot to his leg was minor and he'll be up and walking in no time." Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"When can we see him?" Abby asked, raising her hand.

"He's in recovery, still out from the anesthesia, so we'll let you know when he's awake and ready for visitors. Maybe an hour or two?" Looking around, he added, "Are there anymore questions?"

"No, I think that'll be all, doc. Thanks." Gibbs said and the doctor left. Turning to his team, he said, "There's no sense in all of us waiting around here. Go home and get some sleep, if you can. I'll call you all when he wakes up." Tony started to protest, but decided against it and just thanked Gibbs before leaving. Ziva saw his reluctance and put her hand across his back as they walked out. Gibbs went and got himself another coffee before sitting down to wait.

McGee slowly regained consciousness and panicked, unsure of where he was or if he was still in danger. He heard someone say something and felt hands on his arms, holding him down. Everything faded into darkness again. The next time he woke up, he just lay there, listening. By the sound of the machines, he figured he was in a hospital and that he was probably safe. Slowly he opened his eyes to look around. The curtains were closed and the lights were dim so he had no idea what time it was, but he sensed there was someone else in the room with him. Looking around, he felt pain in his shoulder and stiffness as he moved. Wincing, he repositioned himself.

"Hey, McGee." A voice he recognized well startled him and he turned to look at Gibbs.

"What time is it?" He felt embarrassed that that was the first thing he thought to say instead of something like Good Morning. Gibbs must have noticed his expression because he smiled. Getting up, Gibbs went over to the window and opened the curtains. Sunlight flooded in, blinding Tim momentarily.

"It's about 8 in the morning. You woke up a while ago, but they had to sedate you again." McGee blushed.

"I didn't know what was going on and I couldn't move very well… I guess I panicked." Gibbs nodded.

"Well now that you're awake for good this time, I'll call the others to let them know. I made them go home to get some sleep." McGee felt a small bit of warmth inside for his teammates and while he was still exhausted, he was hoping they'd come see him.

"Before you do that, what happened to Susan?"

"We saw you go down, so we shot her. She'd dead, McGee." Tim was both relieved and saddened. She wasn't that bad a person, he just couldn't believe she went crazy. "And Tim?"

McGee looked at his boss. "Yeah what's up?"

"I know I say apologies are a sign of weakness, but I feel I owe you one. I shoulda known and I shoulda been more prepared, then maybe you wouldn't even be in this hospital bed."

"You knew it was her and you let me go with her anyway?" Tim suddenly felt cold inside, that his team would have used him, not trusted him to know the plan.

"Not until after you left, but we could have called you to warn you, or I could have driven faster." McGee shrugged, feeling a little better, but still upset.

"Still, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't be here at all, I'd be down with Ducky."

"True. I'm just glad you're alive. And so are the others. I told them I'd call when you woke up, do you feel up to having visitors?" Tim nodded, although he just wanted to be left alone for a while.


	9. Author Note

Hi all, I just wanted to update. I've been having some health issues and my brain is a bit screwed up, but they got me on meds now so I should be getting better soon. I really want to finish this story, especially since it's so close to being done, but I don't know how long it's going to take. Thank you all for following it, I greatly appreciate it!

~Joan


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